📌 Excerpts from the Miami Herald report A recent astronomic price hike on internet data packages for cell phones in Cuba has caused such an uproar, even among government supporters, that the island’s leaders have been forced to acknowledge criticism publicly, promising to find “solutions” for the most affected, although without any signs of backtracking on the measure. (...) “We find ourselves in an extremely critical situation due to the lack of foreign currency and the significant reduction in revenue in recent years,” Tania Velazquez, the president of ETECSA, said in a television interview on Saturday to justify the price increases. “The company faces high debt — it’s a reality we must acknowledge. We have debts that prevent us from importing necessary technology, supplies and equipment. We’re not even talking about development, but simply maintaining current services.” (...) Secret financial documents obtained by the Miami Herald reveal that RAFIN S.A., a military-controlled company with a major stake in ETECSA, had $407 million cash on hand as of August of last year. RAFIN is part of the larger conglomerate of companies known as GAESA, which is owned by Cuba’s Revolutionary Armed Forces. RAFIN was created in 1997, and Cuba’s Central Bank lists it as one of the financial institutions operating on the island. Both GAESA, which controls large swaths of the island’s economy, including tourism, and RAFIN are under U.S. sanctions for their ties to the Cuban armed forces. Due to the lack of transparency in government affairs, the current ownership structure of ETECSA is unclear. However, in 2011 it was widely reported that RAFIN had bought 27% of ETECSA’s shares from Telecom Italia. According to media reports, RAFIN paid $706 million. Banco Financiero Internacional, currently part of GAESA, also held 6.15% of ETECSA shares at the time. The remaining shares were owned by Cuban companies affiliated with the Ministry of Communications and the Cuban government. (...) 🎯 Find full article in first comment. (fb)

La sociedad cubana reacciona en redes sociales desde el 30 de mayo, cuando ETECSA implementó un aumento en los precios de sus servicios de datos móviles y recargas nacionales. 1 y 2. Imagen y fragmentos de décimas publicadas por el escritor y repentista Alexis Díaz Pimienta en su página de Facebook. 3. Meme publicado en Instagram por un creador de contenidos digitales que vive en Cuba. 4. Fragmento de la declaración en Facebook de varias facultades de la Universidad de La Habana, contra la medida de aumento de precios de datos móviles. 🎯 Si has visto o escuchado algún contenido interesante sobre el tema, compártelo en los comentarios. Queremos conocer más voces en este debate. 👌🏼 (fb)